Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Next Big Nashville Next Big Nashville Teams Up With Warped Tour
Posted by Adam Gold on Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 12:29 PM
The band you see at the right is NOT Paramore, at least not in name. They're called VersaEmerge, and they're a symptom of the Paramore virus. They're playing Next Big Nashville along with this band from Boston. VersaEmerge is from Florida--a state that, last I checked, hadn't produced a good band since Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers--and they're the latest rising stars to join the Fueled by Ramen roster. Fueled by Ramen is the label that, among other transgressions, gave Fallout Boy bass player--and the Fred Durst of emo--Pete Wentz an imprint label. They put out records by Cobra Starship, The Academy Is..., Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes and more. They're the worst.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because VersaEmerge are slated to play Next Big Nashville on the festival's "Next Warped Nashville" stage. According to a press release sent to the Scene by NBN proprietor Jason Moon Wilkins:
Continuing its efforts to promote new talent, the [corporate name redacted] WARPED TOUR has announced 'Next Warped Nashville,' a [corporate name redacted] Warped Tour stage set to debut at this year's Next BIG Nashville Music Festival and Conference on October 10. Next Warped Nashville will feature performances from Warped bands Therefore I Am, VersaEmerge and Conditions, along with several emerging artists...[corporate name redacted] WARPED TOUR founder and producer Kevin Lyman says: 'What Jason has created with Next Big Nashville over the years is instrumental in Nashville's music scene and something we are proud to be a part of. We've enjoyed holding similar showcases at SXSW and Canadian Music Week, and when given this opportunity from Jason, we were more than excited to be a part of it. Some of the bands playing the showcase, like Versa Emerge and Therefore I Am, have toured with Warped and we know will make for a great show.''NBN is very excited to be able to bring a little bit of Warped back to Nashville for this special event,' notes Next BIG Nashville co-founder Jason Moon Wilkins. 'Warped has been an integral part in exposing the next generation of punk and indie artists to the mainstream, ala middle Tennessee's own Paramore, so it just made sense to have a Warped stage during Next BIG Nashville for local and national acts on the verge of breaking out.'
You may remember Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman from this post I did back in may. He's the guy who was setting up a Nashville branch for his company 4fini productions in preparation for the launch of country-fried take on the Warped Tour model. Apparently he wants to get down with our local rock scene as well. To some of you it may seem as though a musical and cultural fatwa is being issued upon us, others may see it as a necessary means to an end in sustaining NBN or as just a healthy way for the festival to branch out and sell some wristsbands to kids and/or people who don't expect to get them for free by virtue of being a perceived insider.
This warped portion of NBN will take place on Sat. Oct. 10 at RCKTWN. Purchase your NBN tickets and wristbands here.
A little sample of VersaEmerge:
Comments (19)
Showing 1-19 of 19
Somewhere out there, the guys from SSD are scratching their heads and wondering how in the hell Boston hardcore got so wimpy...
Otherwise, good for NBN. Warped has a hell of a publicity apparatus and their involvement can only help things. Plus, getting the kids involved in NBN is a good long term plan. Even if they have shitty taste in music...I've got a stack of Mighty Mighty Bosstones records to prove it.
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did these bands submit or were they invited?
if they were invited, how many other bands were invited?
something stinks in all this. especially with so many other good local bands being snubbed.
i could care less about an anti-fest.
but, how much money in submission fees was generated when it seems that several acts were on a pre-determined roster.
Expose the next generation of punk and indie musicians to the mainstream? Isn't that an oxymoron?
yeah Sean... I ran across my Bosstone's cd from high school and got a little nostalgic. Don't have the pictures but definitely have the cd to prove it. By the way, their show at 328 was the first club show I went to solo as a 16 year old with my gf. Kids were literally hanging from the rafters. Made an impression.
Against Me! was pretty cool up through Eternal Cowboy and they're from Gainesville. Granted, now they're terrible, but still.
What's with all these bands that have little to absolutely no connection to Nashville playing the festival? Granted, I'm just as excited as the next person that The Black Angels are coming to town, but come on. This festival started as a celebration of Nashville's fantastic and extremely varied local music scene, and now we have fucking emo bands from Boston and Florida coming in? I don't get it. Somewhere there's an amazing local band that didn't get their chance because these toolbags were predetermined to be on the bill.
didn't this pop/posthardcore/punk thing end 4-5 years ago?
...wait a minute
this sounds christian.
D:
First and foremost, VersaEmerge is why I loathe so much "new" music. They lack any individuality. As for all these out of state bands playing Next Big NASHVILLE (hint, hint), what a shame. Their is so much talent that goes under-appreciated in Nashville as well as M'boro. Maybe a band that doesn't have daddie's ka-ching or industry connects should be considered, rather than having a festival full of incumbent winners.
P.S. - Matt Friction's new shit is lame.
Uh dude, if you're going to talk shit about about other people's music you might want to take "Stop Invaders" off your Myspace. And citing Cage the Elephant as an influence is helping your cause either.
this is just silly. If your going to get out of town talent, get goooooood out of town talent. The seal is broken man, so do it right. That does not mean it MUST to be something I like personally, I am stating that the previous years have centered around(in the majority) the antithesis of "bands" such as these. Whether it be rock, electronic, noise, etc.... How many of these "bands" truly exist here in any real capacity? I just feel it completely out of place. There are better ways to bring in bucks. Bringing in out of towners that add a touch of fluidity would be money better spent.
Hating Cage the Elephant is like saying you hate Iggy and the Stooges or the MC5. Their live show is raucous, they're from the south, and they staved off a major label deal for as long as possible.
Getting Warped Tour involved in NBN is good, on the business side of it. Its great publicity and you'll get a wider draw. Awesome, I guess. But what about the principles that NBN stands for. Taken from their website "showcase for Nashville’s booming music scene" and "provide a deserving spotlight to the depth and diversity of the music and business “Made in Music City"". Not partner up with Warped tour and invite bad knock-off bands from Boston.
Sorry, but comparing CTE to Iggy or the MC5 is one of the most absurd and misguided statements I've ever heard. I doubt THEY even believe that.
Really? This coming from the obvious intellect who wrote "because I was too busy getting Labor-Day drunk and engaging in a face-punching contest with fellow Cream blogger Sean Maloney". You and fellow MIT grad Bawston Sean are in a league of your own huh?
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